{"id":7852,"date":"2020-05-07T20:43:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T20:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/?p=7852"},"modified":"2020-05-07T20:47:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T20:47:25","slug":"marketing-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/?p=7852","title":{"rendered":"What We Learned From Creating 344 Marketing Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Every day, I talk to business owners who feel overwhelmed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">They don\u2019t know what to focus on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">The business isn\u2019t growing like they feel it should.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">99% of the time, the root cause is the same:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><strong><span class=\"c7\">They don\u2019t have a marketing plan.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">A good marketing plan brings clarity and a predictable path to increased revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">In this email, I\u2019m going to show you the process we\u2019ve refined while making 344 marketing plans for clients over the last couple years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">By the end, you\u2019ll know:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c5 lst-kix_ga3mhhpe0oof-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">One thing you MUST have before creating a marketing plan<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">How to decide what to focus on first<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">When and how to make adjustments to your plan<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Let\u2019s do this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c1\">The #1 Rule for Creating a Marketing Plan<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">You MUST have a growth framework at the foundation of your plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">If you don\u2019t have a core belief about how your business will grow, it\u2019s hard to make a plan that leads to growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">This framework doesn\u2019t need to be complicated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">For example, I believe that almost any online business can grow to $1M by following one simple path:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c5 lst-kix_ab4n8tjn03x-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">Attract leads<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">Teach and build trust with content<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">Monetize with products<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">We call this Attract-Teach-Monetize, or A-T-M for short.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Every plan we create has to address all three parts of A-T-M.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c1\">Step #1: Find the Problem<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">What\u2019s preventing your business from growing right now?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">I guarantee you it\u2019s going to fall in one of the Attract-Teach-Monetize buckets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">For example, you might be creating great content but failing to attract leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Or maybe you\u2019re great at attracting leads, but you can\u2019t figure out what to sell them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Or maybe you have a great product, but no existing audience to sell it to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">You get the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">To pinpoint the problem (or problems), we have our clients complete a 33-point assessment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">The assessment forces you to get clear on everything that matters: revenue, traffic, leads, audience relationship, the purpose of your business, your #1 goal, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">It\u2019s too big for a screenshot, but this should give you an idea. \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Ucwn08nibvsVQoNUELhPYA_L10yXPd1eP4v_byHkirPA0_7remnxeM15VK7WWf9YiztJmfq_4oFglF3Eo_Mp-IjDJ8i77DNLCYc-edw4_jMVIkU-WskLiJMOyUBQBTJLqdhOIImK\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Ucwn08nibvsVQoNUELhPYA_L10yXPd1eP4v_byHkirPA0_7remnxeM15VK7WWf9YiztJmfq_4oFglF3Eo_Mp-IjDJ8i77DNLCYc-edw4_jMVIkU-WskLiJMOyUBQBTJLqdhOIImK\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">If you\u2019re trying to plan without getting clear on this stuff first&#8230;stop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">You will be amazed at how much easier it gets when you look at your business from 10,000 feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c1\">Step #2: Use Playbooks and Action Items<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Just like there\u2019s a \u201cCore Path\u201d we believe leads to growth (A-T-M), there are specific strategies we believe work best for each stage of that path.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Each strategy has its own Playbook. Each Playbook is made up of Action Items.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/_uMMk0lzqCSUMgdnzW1zqZR9V8G-teM-yCG0rF1c1LQ9hP2rFz1xloOPaNFW4HGzF0rduLxiy-2A_uZxkhqPS9iT1RgvEf-JXe4uUhznYw2SSbNMSfrqCzlveQZmvDLFTdNefz73\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/_uMMk0lzqCSUMgdnzW1zqZR9V8G-teM-yCG0rF1c1LQ9hP2rFz1xloOPaNFW4HGzF0rduLxiy-2A_uZxkhqPS9iT1RgvEf-JXe4uUhznYw2SSbNMSfrqCzlveQZmvDLFTdNefz73\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">(By the way, you can\u00a0<span class=\"c11\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/university.growthtools.com\/playbook\/welcome\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">explore a public version of this Playbook right here.<\/a><\/span><span class=\"c0\">)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">To build a Marketing Plan, we schedule the right Playbooks in the right order based on the client\u2019s unique needs and priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">For example, here\u2019s a high-level look at the Playbooks we chose for a client who was getting good traffic, but hadn\u2019t launched a product yet:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c12\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Hd4DtqODhqg_XewzaS_9e8kjE_LMCA5K4ekl30PaZ5-_5y7UmJGe6cyLDpZrLegPRGp988u1r9ICDnxRaTmSF2s_CGC7-kqg2Ny54rSeKKwLrlUl5bR1wzCU-ZTSZRwREajNILTC\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/Hd4DtqODhqg_XewzaS_9e8kjE_LMCA5K4ekl30PaZ5-_5y7UmJGe6cyLDpZrLegPRGp988u1r9ICDnxRaTmSF2s_CGC7-kqg2Ny54rSeKKwLrlUl5bR1wzCU-ZTSZRwREajNILTC\" alt=\"\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">It\u2019s heavy on strategies in the \u201cTeach\u201d and \u201cMonetize\u201d categories since he wasn\u2019t having any issues attracting leads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">BUT&#8230;notice that the first Playbook actually\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">is<\/span><span class=\"c0\">\u00a0focused on attracting leads (Optimize Your Website to Collect Leads).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">That\u2019s because of Step #3&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c1\">Step #3: Layer Quick Wins on Top<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">You know what sucks?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Blindly following a Marketing Plan for months before you see a measurable positive result.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Quick wins build momentum. Quick wins build excitement. Quick wins make you feel like you can take on the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">That\u2019s why we ALWAYS look for opportunities to bake them in at the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">In the previous example, our client had gotten 5,895 unique visitors in the last month. But he\u2019d only converted 254 of them into leads (4% conversion rate).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">We believed he could double that conversion rate by making a handful of basic optimizations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">That\u2019s the kind of quick win that makes attacking the rest of the plan feel like a cakewalk.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c1\">Step #4: Adjust Every 90 Days<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">A good Marketing Plan can flex and pivot when changes and opportunities appear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">Some people will disagree with this, but if your plan DOESN\u2019T require tweaking by 90 days&#8230;you\u2019re just not executing fast enough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">That\u2019s why every 90 days we always revisit our clients\u2019 Marketing Plans with a handful of questions in mind\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c5 lst-kix_swyitka7jkd-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">What worked well?<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">What didn\u2019t work well?<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">What were the biggest sources of traffic and leads?<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">What\u2019s changed? (You know, like did a global freaking pandemic happen?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c2 c8\"><span class=\"c0\">What else should we implement?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">90-Day Reviews are the little hinges that can swing big doors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c0\">.<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"c0\">.<br \/>\n.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c0\"><span class=\"c1\">If you want my team and I to personally help you create a marketing plan for you and help you grow your business. We\u2019d love to talk and work with you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[su_button url=&#8221;https:\/\/lp.growthtools.com\/attack-plan?source=marketingplan-post&#8221; target=&#8221;blank&#8221; style=&#8221;flat&#8221; background=&#8221;#00dc7d&#8221; size=&#8221;14&#8243; radius=&#8221;5&#8243;]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Schedule a time to talk over the details<\/span>[\/su_button]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every day, I talk to business owners who feel overwhelmed. They don\u2019t know what to focus on. The business isn\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.growthtools.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}